Sweet Lemonade
by June-Malatesta
Summary: A love triangle finally unfolds when six nations are trapped in Alfred's house by a snow storm. Italy believes she's figured it out, except when something unexpected shreds any ounce of innocence left in the poor nation.  **Genderbent Italy**
1. Perfect Time of Year

**DISCLAIMER:** I do **not** own any of the Hetalia Characters (just because we're required to put that. X3)

**warning:** mature content; may not be suitable for children under 18 years of age (:D)

**Pairings:** GerIta, CanIta, AmerIta (basically, Italy's being a slut. XP) RusIta, AustriaxHungary, etc...etc...etc...

_**Now on to the story~!**_

The half-empty summit room echoed with little conversations between the remaining countries. Felicianna, despite the past few days of great fatigue and a pounding headache that decided to creep into her head just after the meeting started, conversed incessantly to the taller German whose patience was quickly thinning. The meeting was rather boring, and on top of that, both Felicianna and he were staying at the egotistical Alfred's house. Felicianna may have been the only one actually happy to be staying with Alfred, and that was the only reason the German agreed to stay as well.

They weren't the only ones staying at Alfred's house. Because of the meetings spread over multiple days in his country—today being only the second of about four—a few other countries decided to take refuge in his house too. Among them were Alfred's brother—whose name wasn't of much importance, the German guessed, if he didn't remember it anyway-, Austria, and Hungary. The latter two were smart enough to spend as much time _outside_ of the house as possible, though. Because of Felicianna's eagerness and charming way of getting what she wanted, his days were generally in the house or on the grounds with a bottle of Advil.

"Doitsu~ Doitsu~!" The perky chirp of her voice pulled the German out of his momentary trance. 'Doitsu' as she'd just called him, was what would be considered a 'pet' name—with the exception that they weren't exactly a couple—and she always called him that instead of his actual name, Ludwig. No matter how many times Ludwig asked her to call him by his actual name—or scolded her, to be more precise—she never got it through her head, and therefore continued with her nickname. Granted it was better than being called a 'potato-eating bastard' as her brother does, he never felt the name suited him. But, of course, he wouldn't admit that by now it was growing on him.

Her beaming smile disappeared a moment in place of a pout that caused the German to tilt his head slowly. Apparently while she spoke, she'd gotten her coat and scarf on, and held his out to him.

"Can we go now?" she asked calmly, the smile returning as he took his jacket from her. Ludwig's face turned a light shade of pink as his gloved hand gently brush across the back of her slender fingers, the heat from her skin enough to feel through the leather, despite how cold it was outside.

Felicianna giggled for a reason unknown to Ludwig before skipping off towards the door. Perhaps she saw his blush and found it amusing? That thought alone sparked a darker pink on his cheeks from embarrassment.

Sliding his arms into his coat and following after the cheerful auburn-headed girl, he focused his thoughts on calming down his face pigment.

Felicianna skipped to the doorway, wrapping her arms around the impatient American.

"Alfred-ku~n!" she chirped again, her voice as sweet as always. Alfred chuckled a bit, his impatient look disappearing when the affectionate Italian's arms were wrapped around him. Patting her head and keeping in mind not to accidentally make contact with the little curl perched on the side of her head she always called Venice, he nodded to the approaching German with his megawatt smile

"Luddy! Ready to go back home?" The German twitched at his alternate nickname. He stepped forward again, nodding despite the error of his sentence. Not that Alfred would notice, but it was only 'home' for _him._ As far as Ludwig was concerned, it was a temporary stay. He only wished the stay was even more temporary…

Felicianna hesitantly let go of Alfred and stepped back, almost knocking into Ludwig. The German's nose twitched, her sweet scent tainted slightly to that of hamburgers because of her interaction with Alfred. Taking her arm unconsciously, he began walking out the door and past Alfred, nearly dragging the clumsy Italian with him.

Alfred tilted his head slightly, completely oblivious to the reason for the German's walking off.

One good thing about staying at Alfred's house was that it was in relative walking distance from the house. Alfred, of course, hadn't brought his car, so all six of them walked in the cold towards his house. The American thought that the temperature would get warmer as the day progressed, but his instincts were wrong. As they headed towards his house, little white puffs of snow began falling from the dull grey sky.

Roderich, the black-haired Austrian in the group, glanced around quickly before pulling the collar of his jacket up a bit to keep warmer. His Hungarian partner, Elizaveta, had done the same, but she kept a smile on her face from the interesting weather change.

Ludwig paid the snow no heed, as it wasn't much different from the early winters of his own country. By now, though, he could feel the weak shivers of the Italian girl still attached to his arm. Looking down at her, she'd buried her face up to her nose in her thin scarf, her jacket not doing much for the warmth since it was so big and allowed the cold air through the sleeves. Perhaps next time she shouldn't borrow one of Germany's jackets….

Ludwig hesitated a bit, afraid to cause her discomfort if he tried to warm her up. He continued to stare ahead as he thought of an easy way to keep her warm, but the trailing American saw it as ignorance. Heroic tendencies kicking in, he took two large strides to catch up to them, pulling off his jacket and wrapping it around Felicianna.

Startled a bit by the action, Ludwig removed his arm from around the girl's and looked back at Alfred, hiding his annoyance rather well—not that the American would notice if he didn't bother to hide it at all.

Felicianna slowed a bit, surprised at the scent of burgers and then some that filled the air rather suddenly. Looking at her shoulders where the extra weight was put, she took a deep breath and smiled. Turning around and walking backwards as she smiled up at Alfred, Felicianna held the other large jacket shut across her chest.

"Grazie, Alfred-Kun!" She chirped again, her voice slightly muffled by the scarf over her mouth. The American smiled his megawatt grin once more, placing his hands on his hips as he replied much louder than was necessary

"No problem, miss! It's a hero's honor!" Felicianna giggled; no one had ever called her 'miss' before. It was always 'Italia', Felicianna, or Feli. Nodding to Alfred, Feli continued walking cheerfully to his house, the extra weight keeping most of the cold air from invading her jacket.

Ludwig passed a few glances at Alfred, whose plastered 'hero' smile was starting—if it hasn't already—to be annoying. After a while he sighed and focused on the falling snow in front of him, the clumps starting to get thicker.

The heat of the house brushed across the cold skin of the six upon entering Alfred's house. The intense change in temperature would have scalded their faces if they weren't all so bundled up in their coats—with the exception of Alfred, whose face turned bright red as if it _had _really gotten burned. He paid no attention to the stinging, despite the fact that his heroic demeanor had left him a few minutes before. Perhaps he always felt the need to be leader-like?

Feli hopped onto the couch, laying backwards with her legs dangling over the arm. The hair from her ponytail frayed out on the fabric as she removed her scarf and two jacket layers because of the sudden warmth.

Ludwig had already done so, his jacket hanging on a coat rack. Walking over to Feli, he took her coat and scarf, hanging them as well.

Roderich and Elizaveta didn't bother taking off their coats yet, as they had immediately walked through the halls to their guest room to leave the other four in peace. If anything, Roderich was well aware of the possibility of something unpleasant in the near future, but since he didn't know exactly when it would happen, he kept his distance as much as possible. Being the previous caretaker of Felicianna, he knew very well how to read her emotions. Hungary simply followed Austria nearly everywhere, as they were a couple.

Matthew quietly sat down next to Feli once she sat up. Twiddling his thumbs rather nervously, he decided to look out the window at the thickening storm.

"I don't think it'll be the weather for the meeting tomorrow…" He said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. Felicianna turned to him and pouted, her face absolutely adorable despite her frowning.

"Are you sure?" Feli asked sadly. She rather liked the meetings because she got to see everyone.

Matthew turned to her, blushing lightly and nodding. He opened his mouth the speak, but whatever he would've said was quickly cut off by the once again energetic _hero._

"nonsense! This is only a passing storm! You wait and see, tomorrow will be bright and sunny!" Apparently, Alfred didn't realize how incorrect his weather-watching was; he thought today would be 'bright and sunny' as well. Feli, though, clapped her hands happily, her face returning to the cheerful smile.

"Yay!" Alfred put on his smug look again, positive he was right(which, according to him alone, is true). Feli kept her caramel eyes focused on Alfred a moment before turning back to the Canadian shaking his head.

"See? We can have the meeting tomorrow!" She chirped. Matthew looked at her a moment before turning away again.

"I guess…." He wasn't at all convinced that what Alfred said was true. If anything, they might be stuck in the American's house for a day or two because of the snow.

Matthew felt the warm caramel eyes still watching him-that, or she was looking past him to the window of snow and imagining it bright and sunny—and he instantly became nervous. Not only was attention like that rarely given to him for more than a second, it was _Feli's_ attention he had. Despite him being unsure whether or not she knew his name after the few days they were living with Alfred, there was something so charming about her that he didn't mind if she did or not.

Of course, the bubbly Italian girl always seemed to be charming, whether she knew it or not. When compared to her brother, it was as if she was sugar, and he was spices. Spain seemed to like the spices more, but to the rest of the world, sugar was apparently more delectable.

Ludwig, whether he saw Matthew or not, took the chance to sit on top of him as if he weren't there. Felicianna's gaze moved from the Canadian to the German, as he wanted. Despite gaining victory over Matthew for the moment, Ludwig's face was still rigid.

Once again, Matthew seemed a ghost to the two once he was squashed. Yawning, the Italian girl stood, pecking Ludwig on the cheek as she normally did before bed.

"I'm tired, Doitsu~! Let's go to bed!" Matthew twitched at the statement, and the German knew well how awkward that may have sounded, but her actions were completely normal for her. She always slept with someone else in the bed stark naked. Not that the other countries needed to know that second part, but Ludwig had his fair share of blood loss the first few times she slipped into his bed.

To Alfred, who decided it was a bright idea to give them a room to share, they were an adorable couple. Whether this was true or not didn't faze him, but he seemed to think they would be more comfortable that way.

Brushing off the awkwardness, Ludwig stood and took her arm again. The German wasn't that tired. In fact, he had the energy to pick a fight with the hot-headed American. I wouldn't do any good, though, because said American already started off to his own room. Sighing, Luddy turned to Italy and smiled a little(although, it may have looked awkward since he doesn't do that much…).

"O-okay, Italia." Feli almost dragged the muscular blonde with her, immediately falling on the bed when she entered the room.

"yay! So nice~!" she commented, spreading her arms and making bed angels. Germany watched as he unbuttoned his army jacket and sat in the corner of the bed, as it wasn't taken up by her flapping arms.

Feli stopped her happy actions a moment in favor of stripping to get ready for bed. The German was semi-used to it now, and he learned to turn away and keep the lights off when they entered the room. Italy didn't mind, as it made one less trip to the wall to turn is off. By then you wouldn't be as tired, right? Sleep is always good…

Ludwig lay down under the covers, taking as little amount of space up as possible. His little Italian followed, immediately curling up close to him. He noticed she hadn't taken her hair down—in fact, he can't remember the last time she put it down. Slowly, he reached for the tie to take it out when the Italian's head lifted and looked at him in surprise. The light in the room was rather dim because of the storm outside, and her eyes seem to glow in the darkness.

"What are you doing?" She asked, a completely innocent tone in her voice. He froze, his hand hovering an inch above the hair tie.

"Wha—oh, uhm, I thought you would want to put your hair down to sleep." He found that a rather logical answer, even though she'd never done so before.

Still looking up at him sweetly, she thought for a moment, "I don't like my hair let down. I always have it up."

Her denial sparked a chord of curiosity in the German. Moving his hand a bit away, he brushed his hand across her cheek lightly despite his blush.

"Why not?" He asked, perfectly sincere. She thought another moment before answering

"I don't like the way it looks when it's down." She said calmly, noting the slight red tint in his face. Ludwig stared at her for a few minutes in complete intrigue before reaching for the ponytail again and being stopped once more.

"don't." Feli said, a slight hint of stern-ness in her voice. He remained calm

"I want to see." She remained silent, breathing calmly. _She_ didn't like her hair down; she doubted he would.

Her prolonged silence made Ludwig think he had an 'okay' to do as he wanted. Cautiously, he pulled the tie from her hair, the auburn locks falling and framing her face down a bit past her shoulders. She shut her eyes, afraid to see his reaction. As the seconds ticked and silence continued, her nervousness increased.

"Beautiful." He muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. Shocked, she opened her eyes and looked into the piercing blue ones focused on her.

"Wh-what?" Feli asked, although she heard him the first time. The German smiled a bit, bringing his hand up and running his fingers gently through her soft hair

"Beautiful." He said once more, his voice a little louder this time to ensure she heard it. Felicianna felt heat start up in her cheeks from a pink blush. Staring at him blankly with her mouth ajar, Felicianna tried to process the word; One single word that seemed to blow her mind. Hearing it from him was a shock in itself.

Germany continued brushing his hand through her hair, completely entranced by the beauty and softness of it. Keeping his eyes focused on hers, he didn't realize his hand brushing across Venice until he heard the little moan escape Feli's lips. She tensed up as he removed his hand quickly.

Before he could apologize—which was the first thing he coherently thought to do—a pair of warm pink lips were pressed against his. Wide-eyed, he froze in place as his face turned to a shade darker than red.

Unlike her brother, Felicianna failed to repress any natural reactions.

His mind going completely blank as he relaxed at the delicious taste of her lips that could only be identified as lemons sweetened under the Naples sun (which, she brought to eat at the meeting yesterday as well as today and shared), his hormonal responses kicked in before his rational ones as her arms were wrapped around him weakly to pull him closer.

This was all because he'd accidentally touched Venice? No, it couldn't be, right? She used to get over that rather quickly when it was a complete accident. Of course, this was the first time they were alone in a bedroom when this happened…

Could it be that she's telling him something? Perhaps…using the accident as an excuse to do this? It didn't matter, as Ludwig liked this anyways.

The scary thing, though, is that they were in someone else's house. He didn't know how thick the walls were, and if someone were to walk in on them, things would get stranger from there. But Alfred thought they were a couple anyways, right? If anyone else walked in…

No; he was sure he locked the door.

Slowly, his logic kicked in and he pushed Feli away, not aware of the strength he used until he saw she'd almost fallen off the bed. Both panting heavily from arousal, they stared at each other as an awkward silence filled the room.

He'd completely denied her. Did he not like her? Upsetting thoughts swam through her mind as tears filled her eyes. Opening her mouth to speak, she could only feel air come out.

Ludwig froze once again, his heart breaking from the hurt in Feli's eyes. It was correct to do that, right? It would be improper if they'd done what he thought she was aiming at?

The German twitched before getting to his feet rather quickly, ignoring the immediate head rush as he did so. Feli pulled herself safely back on the non-edge of the bed as she watched him, a warm tear running down her face as the German walked briskly out of the room. She wanted to go after him, apologize, hope she didn't ruin their friendship, but her body refused to move as it still recovered from shock.

And the heavy footsteps faded further and further from the door, leaving the little crying Italian girl to curl up and lay on the increasingly chilling bed.

**_Chapter end_**

**Author ranting time:**

Ack! you'd think for my first fanfiction I'd choose a one-shot easy fluff thing, right? WRONG! I like to start hard then move to the easy stuff~ hehe! And sorry for it being so long! DX I just couldn't find a cliffhanger I was happy with...OTL

I'd love your reviews and critiques~! And don't worry, the next chapter will be up soon! ^^

(also...if you have an idea for a soundtrack for this, I'd love to hear! XD haha)


	2. Recipe for Disaster

Slowly, the light entering the room in low beams between the frost on the windows alerted Felicianna that it was morning and time to wake up. Her eyes fluttering open, she stared blankly at the empty impression next to her on the bed, reminding her of the event last night. So it wasn't a dream, she thought, tears immediately welling up in her eyes as she sat up. Denying herself the pained relief of crying, Felicianna stood and dressed herself before making her way out of the room.

Goosebumps appeared on her limbs as the cold air brushed past her. Had someone opened a window? That wouldn't be a good idea when there's snow outside…right? She walked into the kitchen, her stomach emitting a low growl, telling her it was time for morning pasta.

The fact that there seemed to be no audible noises around gave Italy the idea that she was the only one awake. It was strange, seeing that she liked to sleep in and it felt like it was almost the afternoon already. Filling a bowl with pre-cooked pasta, she sat at the table as it heated in the microwave.

The cold waves seeping in from the window above the sink sent a chill down her spine. Staring blankly at the frosted panes of glass, her mind wandered into a false and strange sense of security. It seemed that they were locked in Alfred's house because of the amount of snowfall last night. Locked in….with Alfred…she didn't mind. Her only question was if last night Germany had decided to leave before the snow really piled up, locking him _outside_ instead. Was that a good thing? If they were separated for a bit, maybe she could figure things out a little easier?

The repeating beeps from the microwave broke Felicianna from her trance. Pushing the chair back with her legs as she stood up, Feli walked to the microwave and pulled out the bowl, dropping it on the floor when she felt the burning sensation.

"Ow!" She yelped, holding her hand and jumping back as the ceramic bowl shattered on the ground in front of her. Shards of the bowl flung at her ankles, sharp edges barely slicing her skin. The precise attacks were enough to have her jump back again and yelp once more.

"Italia." The deep, stern voice rang through her ears painfully. She froze, her eyes narrowing. The steam from the hot noodles on the floor rose to meet her face, adding to the little beads of sweat finding their place on the back of her neck.

Heavy footsteps made their way towards her, the echo piercing her thoughts. Why did his voice hurt so much? He wasn't gone; isn't that a good thing? She could probably fix things now, right?

A cold gloved hand was placed firmly on her shoulder, causing her to jump. Quickly, she turned to face him, her hair turning with her at a slightly delayed pace and landing over her shoulder.

Icy blue eyes looked down at her, showing next to no emotion that she could read. She couldn't help but tremble; there was something so scary about him right now. Waves of cold emanated from his skin and clothing, despite the beads of sweat on his brow.

_Was that why it was so cold? Did he go outside?_—Her thoughts were cut short when his other hand took hers, lifting it a bit to see if any burn marks were there. Felicianna stopped breathing a moment, focusing on their hands together. The gesture would normally feel so warm and loving to her, but his demeanor made any possibility for those feelings dissipate within seconds.

She felt so small compared to him, so weak. His hand was so heavy on her shoulder. Feli bit her tongue as his grip tightened. Those blue eyes lifted from their hands back to her face, his expression still unreadable.

Felicianna opened her mouth to speak, but any words that may have come out were quickly stifled by the sensation of cool lips meeting hers. Eyes widening, the Italian nearly collapsed under the weight of his hand. Before she had the chance, though, her hand was allowed to fall to her side as a muscular arm snaked around her waist and pulled her towards him.

Enveloped in his cold embrace, her eyes slowly fell shut. His other hand moved from her shoulder to the back of her head, his fingers entangling themselves in her hair.

The Italian girl immediately became confused as she felt warm tears rolling down her cheeks. Why was she crying? This was a happy moment for her! Her longtime friend had willingly kissed her on the lips!

Something was off, though. She couldn't really tell what it was, except that it felt awkward from his side; almost as if he had something to prove by doing this.

Ludwig felt the warm drip of liquid melt through his jacket to his skin. Hesitantly, he pulled away from her, releasing her from his grip. She stumbled backwards, nearly stepping on the broken ceramic pieces. Germany couldn't look at her as tears continued rolling down her face. Her eyes shown more confusion than pain, but the tears themselves were enough to break his heart again.

Ludwig remained still, taken back as stern amethyst eyes met his. The man took a sip of the drink in his mug as he gave Germany a disapproving look. Had that damn piano player looked into his brain? He's not even a part of this! What would he know?

Before Ludwig's angered thoughts could be projected vocally, the Austrian had moved out of the doorway and down the hall. Guilt had already begun to overwhelm him.

"D-doitsu…" the trembling voice of the little Italian girl forced Ludwig to push his thoughts aside and finally look at her pained expression. Did she not want him to kiss her? That'd be quite fickle for her…-

"I-i….I thought you hated me…" Her voice lowered a bit to barely above a whisper. Confusion crossed his face a bit before he finally understood her reasoning. A few seconds of silence passed before he finally tilted his head a little, the corner of his mouth twitching upward in a crooked smile. How could he hate her? It was rather obvious how much she liked him, and she was always so kind to him even if he scolded her. The only problem was figuring out if he liked her back as much as she did him. Unsure of himself, he figured to verbalize a generic answer.

"I could never hate you." That was true, for the most part. Ludwig felt his heart swell a bit as her face lit up with pure happiness. Was the fact he didn't hate her _that_ joyous?

It didn't matter. It was worth it to see her happy again. Was that why he kissed her in the first place; to make up for denying her last night? The previous wave of guilt he felt had completely disappeared, along with his reasoning for the kiss when she smiled. It was so wonderful to see her smile.

Contented, Felicianna stepped forward again and wiped some of the sweat from his forehead with the back of her hand

"Were you outside?" She asked, still smiling. Ludwig nodded.

"I've been shoveling." He responded, realizing he had to continue to do so—since there seemed to be too much snow.

Kissing her forehead, he walked back out, picking up the large, wet shovel he leaned against the doorway upon entrance. Felicianna watched him for a few minutes before turning and cleaning up the shattered mess on the floor.

Heading down the hallway towards the front door, his blue eyes met warm indigo ones for a moment. The Canadian turned his head as the German kept walking out, unable to see the smirk that formed on the other's face. The guilt he would've felt changed into smug dominance.

_Oh, right; _that's_ why I kissed her._

The door slammed shut behind him, cold air brushing past Matthew's face.

**Chapter end**

**AUTHOR RANT TIME:**

Ack! I'm so sorry that this is about 1/3 the length of the previous chapter...er...yeah...but don't worry! my erratic chapter updates will soon include _really_ long chapters! Excited? I hope so! haha; the meat of the story will be much more interesting, anyways, so please bear with me until we get to the sexy stuff! ;P


	3. Let's Play a Little Game, Shall We?

An hour and a cleaned-up kitchen later, Felicianna found herself still giddy from the earlier conversation, his words still echoing through her head.

"_I could never hate you_…_"_

Such needed words.

"_I could never hate you…"_

It gave her pure happiness that the incident last night may have simply been a misunderstanding. Everything was better now, right? Of course, it had to be. He didn't hate her, he even _kissed_ her~!

Italy made her way out of the kitchen finally after having daydreamed for innumerable minutes and staring out the nearly opaque window. On her way down the hall she ran into an equally energetic American, falling backwards. If it weren't for Alfred's quick reflexes, she would've slammed against the hardwood floor.

Time seemed to run in slow motion for the second she'd fallen. Her body jerking to a stop as Alfred's arm hooked around her waist, she stared up at him in surprise. Alfred's face was filled with pure heroic ego as he held her there a moment.

Feli felt the slight heat of a blush cross her face, her heart pounding as she continued to stare at him.

Once her muscles relaxed a bit, Alfred helped her up on her own feet, patting her head happily.

"Letting your hair down for once, I see? It's prettier that way!" He walked off towards the kitchen, and it took a moment for his words to sink in. Her heart fluttered as the blush darkened on her cheeks. Maybe she should let her hair down more often, if he likes it? The thought hadn't occurred to her that she seemed to be more affected by Alfred's words than Ludwig's.

Blinking a few times as she watched him walk away, she finally noticed he was still in his pajamas.

_Had he just woken up?_

Felicianna broke from her momentary stupor, walking down the hall further and into the living room to find Austria and Hungary occupying the couch. She almost turned around and walked out when Roderich's voice called out to her.

"Italy, come here." He said. His voice never changed since when Italy was little. It was rather nostalgic, except for the slight annoyance that pricked at Feli's mind since he used the tone he called her with when she was little.

Still, though, she walked over to him as if she were in trouble, her head lowered slightly as she approached him. He held his hand out, resting it on her shoulder as he stood. Hungary watched the two curiously.

Warm breath caressed the side of her face as he whispered into her ear, his voice barely loud enough for her to hear.

Felicianna's eyes widened, struck with fear and pain. It couldn't be true! There was no way it would be! But…Roderich was honest and more observant than the others….so…there had to be _some_ truth in it?

She stepped backwards, the back of her leg smacking against the corner of the side table. Roderich didn't hold her there, his hand immediately leaving her shoulder once she started shaking.

Clumsily, Feli turned and ran out of the room, almost knocking into Matthew on her way out.

The Canadian turned and watched her stumble up the stairs before looking into the room at Roderich.

"I thought you'd be less inclined to share your observations, Roderich." He said calmly. Austria sat down again and sipped his morning drink before responding

"It seems everyone is a little out of character lately." Seconds passed in complete silence before Hungary decided to speak up,

"It's alright; everything will work out!" Her hand twitched a bit as she gave the most genuine smile she could muster at the moment. Silence returned to the room.

The only thing to break the silence was the bursting in of Alfred behind Matthew. The surprised Canadian jumped at his sudden appearance, wondering why he was still in his pajamas. As opposed to his normal cheery smile, the American had a slightly serious look on his face.

"I just got a call from Ivan," snort "He's apparently attempting to make a better western movie!" He laughed, "That guy just wanted to beat me at everything I guess; As if he'd be able to pull it off, though!" Everyone stared at the man, completely confused as to why they were being told this. Maybe Alfred just needed to share news to the whole world as it comes around? It got annoying after a while. Despite their 'get the hell out' type of looks, he continued rambling while wiggling his cell phone in his hand

"He always wants what he can't have! HA! My westerns will _always_ be best!" Matthew turned to his twin, sighing quietly.

"Alfred…has it ever occurred to you that he might be jealous, and wants whatever you have?" This took the American by surprise

"Wha—oh! _Of course_ that has to be the reason! That sunflower-loving bastard must be jealous!" With a proud smirk, Alfred bolted out of the room to complete whatever he was doing in the kitchen.

Everyone exhaled in relief. As if _Ivan_ would be jealous of _Alfred._ Of course…there was the whole cold war incident—no, that wouldn't happen again, right? Matthew simply wanted his brother to leave, since he could never read the atmosphere enough to understand it silently.

The relieved tension was quickly subdued by Austria's stern voice

"you'll be careful what happens to my ward, right?" Matthew twitched. Leaning against the doorframe, he took a breath and stayed as calm and stern as possible. Perhaps that would be hard to do if anyone else _could_ do it, but he'd been practicing.

"She's not _your_ ward anymore. She's her own nation." A twinge of annoyance sparked in the Canadian's head when there was no change in Roderich's expression or tone.

"That may be, but I will still watch over her by any means. I'm sort of a parental figure in her mind. Care to answer my question?" the annoyance became more prominent.

"Sure." The Austrian hadn't looked at him when he spoke, and Matthew was a bit grateful. The long sleeves of his sweatshirt almost completely covered his hand, and, moving his hand slightly behind him, he crossed his pointer and middle fingers upon answering. He'd had enough of standing by and not getting what he wanted.

The front door opened and slammed shut, a wave of cold air spreading through the house. Sweaty and bundled up, Ludwig took off his gloves and jacket to hang them on the coat rack. Walking into the living room, followed by large wet footprints, he neglected to acknowledge anyone's presence other than Austria's.

"It started snowing again. I got as much of the shoveling done as I could." Austria nodded politely, not bothering to mention he was getting the carpet soaking wet from the snow.

In an act of habit, Germany had volunteered to shovel the sidewalk. No one bothered to do so as well, because he wanted to do it himself and before anyone woke up—not that that part worked out, exactly.

Without waiting for any verbal response, Ludwig made his way upstairs.

The scent of blood became thicker in the air as he made his way up, causing him to increase his pace. Searching for the source of the smell, he froze in place, his hand resting on the door handle of the room he and Italy shared. The scent was the strongest there, meaning it came from in there.

He swallowed, turning the handle and opening the door.

_she couldn't have done anything to herself, right? What reason would she have?—but that Austrian already knew something was wrong…could he have told her? That would be so cruel of him! But….Italy…._

His eyes widened.

Curled up in a whimpering ball on the floor was the little auburn-headed girl. Blood streams seem to have come from her head—or her hands, he couldn't tell at that angle. Had she really cut herself? Did she know everything? No really sharp objects were around on the floor, unless he just couldn't see them.

Hesitating, he was slightly relieved when her body twitched as a weak little sound came from her that he could only guess was a 've'.

"Felicianna!" He called, his voice still stern despite his worry. Her warm eyes looked up towards him weakly, despite her vision blurring. That was the first time he'd ever actually called her by her name.

She felt his cold hand rest on her shoulder as he knelt down in front of her before completely blacking out.

_Nearly all the pieces are on the game board: the king and queen, the knight, the bishops, and the pawn. Slowly, the game master lowers his slender fingers to a marble piece, shoving it forward to another square…_

_**AUTHOR'S RANT:**_

_OTL This chapter is longer...but it has less words-HOW DOES _THAT_ WORK OUT? Grrr...well...haha, still working on my sporradic updates. Some will probably take longer than others when they make the plot thicker~! These three are because I'm stuck at home sick...hm. I'm getting better, so expect them to be updated more of every week? D: no? aww! pretty please? The chapters will get better, I promise!-but but but but but but-I'M SORRY! *corner*_

_oh~ and I'd like to hear what your favorite Fem!Italy pairings are, lovelies~! ^^ (maybe I'll change my surprise ending..._ _ _ _ :D)_

_KIluffyoubyebye~3_


	4. Add A Little Sugar

Everything was a blur. Throbbing pain pounded through her head, nearly numbing out any feeling except for the faint comfort of arms wrapping around her. They left too soon. A simple hug? No, the feeling was replaced by something being draped over her up to her neck. A blanket? Where would she be then? Maybe a hospital? Was she found that quickly? By who?

Her eyes fluttering open, Felicianna counted the three pairs of eyes watching her intently.

"Ve…." Felicianna's vision cleared a bit by the time they smiled.

"Good, you're awake." The nearly booming voice was soothing to her. the Italian turned a little to look at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed German to her left. She smiled as bright as she could despite her weakness. Blinking a few times as she sat up, a little gasp escaped her when those familiar cold lips met hers. Felicianna turned pink, losing her mind at that moment. The only thing to break her from her stupor was the squeak of someone's shoe on the ground, obviously made to be quite loud.

The German stepped back from her, turning away stiffly to watch the doctor walk in the room.

As her eyes were locked on the stranger's movements, Feli was unaware of the increasingly cold indigo eyes set on her own form.

Once released from the hospital (that day, thanks to the influence of the American on his own people), Felicianna cheerfully walked around outside, noting that the snow had drastically decreased, leaving an innumerable amount of puddles in the road to slowly evaporate with the increasing temperature. The weather was so strange in America.

Wish the snow cleared enough, the scheduled world meeting was only slightly postponed in time. This was great news for the German, since that meant he wouldn't have to spend an extra unplanned day at Alfred's house.

Upon entering the house, the American and the German joined Roderich and Elizaveta in the living room to inform them that Felicianna was alright.

The named Italian, though, decided to spend the clearing day in Alfred's backyard, running around and kicking the slush that was the melting snow as if it she were little again. It wasn't often she saw snow; much less had a chance to play with any substantial amount.

Those cold indigo eyes continued to watch her, his red sweatshirt pressed against his brother's house as the Canadian took note of her movements. _Almost like dancing…_

Every twirl, every step and slip of the snow beneath her feet was recorded into the Canadian's mind. She was so pure, so innocent and lovable. Her charm was unlike any other nation's, and despite his previous thought, she _noticed_ him.

Felicianna came to a stop, her bright grin aimed at Matthew. The glint of his glasses disappeared as he moved his head a bit, slightly surprised at the attention he was given. Were it any other country, he would have been no more prominent than a brick in the wall of the house. He couldn't help but smile.

His gaze was so fixed on her entrancing caramel eyes that he couldn't tell she was walking closer to him until the scent of pasta and Italian spices was nearly overwhelming.

Her gentle arms wrapped around him, depleting the space between his sweatshirt and his skin during the embrace. Matthew's heart fluttered, and he believe he'd be able to die happy right then and there.

Too soon did her arms release him. His smile faded a bit, tempted to throw his arms out and pull her in again towards him, never letting go. She giggled, that seductive Italian accent lacing her words perfectly as she spoke.

"Grazie, Matthew! It was great to know you were there at the hospital too!" Her speech was like a drink you couldn't get enough of. Her accent filled his ears and drowned out any coherent thoughts aside from his blatant desire to hear more from her.

Then it hit him.

She actually spoke his _name._ That was new. The smile returned even wider to the Canadian's face, every doubt that she didn't know his name either erased from his consciousness.

"Ve~ Are you okay?" A little finger poked at the flesh of his cheek. He looked down at her again, coughing in his sleeve for no particular reason

"I-I'm fine, Feli." He said quietly, although it was easy to tell she heard him. Nodding and taking his hand, she skipped back into the house without a word.

Entering the house, the unnamable aura was almost crushing his lungs. Felicianna didn't seem to care…either that, or she didn't notice it. She let go of him as they both entered the living room with the other countries. Felicianna sat between Alfred and Ludwig, Matthew eyeing them as he stood and listened to the conversation. It seemed they were on the subject of the world meeting later today.

Speaking of which…

Another break. Thankfully with the meeting being delayed slightly, the countries had more of a plan for what to pitch when it came to ideas.

Felicianna was the only country left in the room, eating her sweet lemons cheerfully. Ludwig had been with her, but within the last minute he'd left to go check up with Vash and tell him his thoughts on the Swiss' idea.

Sweet, sticky juices covered the clumsy girl's fingers as she peeled the lemons and ate them with no notice of the other country in the room with her. The only noises were the soft spurt of juice from the lemons, her chewing, and the occasional little noise from her that indicated a bit of tartness to the fruit.

_Maybe I just have to be more forward…._

Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders, bright blue eyes looking down at her calmly. A little startled, Felicianna lifted her head and immediately became aware of the sudden flutter of her heart beat as she stared into those clear orbs.

"You're making such a mess on the table, _Felicianna._"

Her mouth fell open a little in surprise, her name being spoken in that seductive American accent causing her to almost lose it right then and there. She didn't, though, and she reluctantly left his gaze to look at the table.

It was true. In the eagerness to taste the snack she'd brought, little droplets to juices and splattered and clung to the wood, making a sticky mess.

She glanced around the table to see how far the little droplets had spanned, only broken from her investigation becuase of warm hands running down her arm and taking her wrist gently.

Feli's heart beat even faster.

"May I have a taste?"

A gasp escaped the Italian's lips as her hand was gently lifted upward and the American moved to her side, her finger slowly slipped into his mouth and sucked on carefully, his tongue exploring the length of her finger to indulge in the sweet lemon juice until it was gone.

Felicianna watched him in shock, her face turning redder and redder as he moved on to the next finger and did the same, taking his sweet time to leave no millimeter of skin untouched.

Two fingers this time, his tongue slipping between the two and sucking the flavor off them greedily. Time seemed to stop; or pause, at the least. Felicianna couldn't even hear the tick of the clock nearby, her own mind going completely numb at the heated sensation charging up her arm and into her heart.

His closed eyes opened, those piercing blue eyes capturing her gaze as her ring and pinky finger were slowly pulled from his mouth. He continued to firmly hold her hand as he licked his lips. She could feel her heart beating faster as he lightly kissed her palm, tracing the tip of his tongue across her warm flesh to her wrist and up her arm. Her eyes widened as her lips were taken by his, his sweetened tongue entering her mouth and exploring freely.

A little moan escaped her, their fingers being intertwined. Slowly, her eyes fell shut as she gave in to the warmth. It was overwhelming to her the amount of love she felt poured into that one kiss.

Intoxicating.

Cautiously, she wrapped an arm around his neck, and in response, he pulled her onto his lap, his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her against him.

He could feel the heat emanating from her body and through the cloth separating them. This was nearly everything he wanted it to be.

If only it wasn't for-

The door creaked loudly, a hard slam of a boot on the ground following. The two broke their loving kiss to turn and look at the door.

Felicianna paled, her eyes widening in shock, fear, regret, and pain when her eyes were hesitantly met with ice blue ones.

He was frozen, completely immovable from the shock and confusion in his heart. Clearing his throat, the German stepped back and out the door, the only sound being the click of the closing door for a few minutes.

Alfred turned back to Felicianna, his eyes filling with worry and apology as he watched the warm tears roll down her cheek.

Slowly, he reached up to wipe the little droplets of water from her cheek, only to have his hand swatted away. Shuffling off his lap and onto her feet, Felicianna stepped back until she fell into her own seat, lowering her head to hide the frown that rarely crossed her face.

Not again…

He wasn't going to let her slip from him again…

Did he go too far?

Of course not…right? He poured everything he had into that kiss, and she knew that. She wouldn't completely deny him…it wasn't her nature. From what he could tell, she loved him too.

_Loved._

Such a strong word.

But it was true. He loved her. He wanted her his, and he would do whatever it took to make it so. That's why he even—

A little whimper escaped her. He frowned, moving forward to the edge of his seat and wrapping his arms around her firmly, pulling her close to him despite her protests. After a few minutes of silent crying, she'd finally calmed to a soft tremble.

Those weren't the only tears she wanted to shed. Both ashamed and hurt, she was as confused as possible about her own feelings. She loved Ludwig…that was obvious…but she also loved Alfred beyond comprehensible belief. There was simply something about him that pulled her toward him.

Countries began filing into the room, signaling to the two silent ones that break was over.

Germany wasn't present for the second half of the meeting.

Throughout the conference, Felicianna had twiddled her thumbs silently under the table, everyone else too preoccupied with the heated debate on global warming to pay her any attention.

There was a single exception.

Sky blue eyes were focused on her, a frown still crossing his face. Occasionally he had to move and participate in the conversation with coherent ideas, but he went back to watching her otherwise.

He wouldn't let her go, no matter what.

He had to prove to her that she would be his—that she _was_ his from this point forward.

Felicianna calmly declined going out to dinner with some of the other countries once the meeting was over. The others finally realized that something was wrong, but they wouldn't speak up.

Silently, she made her way back to Alfred's house to get some peace and quiet…most likely also to cry out the rest of her tears before she could logically figure things out.

Upon opening the door, her caramel eyes were met with determined blue ones, those all-too-familiar orbs piercing right through her knowingly, causing her heart to wrench up.

"C-ciao…" Feli said quietly, shutting and locking the door behind her. He sat at a chair not too far from her. Felicianna quickly averted her eyes as she took off her coat and hung it up, slowly walking past him.

"G-goodnight, Alfre—" Briskly, he grabbed her arm and pulled her against him as he stood, his lips capturing hers roughly and his other hand restraining her from protest. Little noises came from the Italian as she was lifted off her feet and carried up the steps into the master bedroom.

Squirming against his grip, Felicianna tried everything she could to stop him, but his strength compared to hers was too far a difference.

His lips moved from hers as he brought her arms up above her head and handcuffed her to the bed frame with a pair of cuffs from the nightstand. She gasped, trying to pull free of the binding as he nipped at her neck and sucked on the tender flesh hungrily.

Despite her better judgment, she shut her eyes, her struggling becoming weaker. As his newly freed hands explored her body and slipped underneath her clothing, her mind slowly went numb.

Maybe this is what she wanted? An easy answer.

This felt so right to her…but there was something off about it that she couldn't place.

A cold wisp of air brushed across her arms, snapping her back from numbness enough to realize her mouth was moving.

"No…no…no…no…" She repeated her denial. When did she start speaking?

He wasn't listening, his teeth nibbling at the flesh at her neck to leave one more bite mark. He'd already left some on the other side of her neck, his eyes still filled with passionate determination to fulfill his twisted desire.

Yes; he was raping her. He was also well aware of that fact. But the minute surrendering she slowly showed him was enough to tell him she wanted this. It may not have been conscious, but she wanted it in some way or another.

Her verbal denials weren't even enough to have him quit what he was doing.

Muffling her words by bringing his lips back to hers, he forced his tongue down her throat, eliciting a squeak from her in surprise.

He smiled.

The American was thoroughly elated at her squirming, the little noises that escaped her when he showed her something new, her precious, small, and delicate frame would be undoubtedly his property by the end of the night.

She wouldn't take this joy from him. She'd know very well whose she was.

Not even that German would be able to step between them.

But was this the way to do it?

Alfred snuck a glance at the clock.

_7:45_

The two had the house for at least two hours before the other countries came back from dinner. Plenty of time.

_The pawn moved forward, mercilessly placed in the path of the rook._

**AUTHOR'S RANT:**

***excessive bowing* I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry this update took so long!**

**I blame Antonio for distracting me with his lovely….tomatoes. ;3**

**Hehe~**

**Well….I'm so sorrryyyyyy! DX**

**Missing the first few days of school really piles up on you…BUT! I promise that I won't abandon this fanfic, Da~lings! ^^**

**I will definitely keep posting chapters! And whether or not they're sporadic or not will pretty much be up to my teachers…and the work load they give me…**

**Urrggghhhhh!**

**Like my little teaser? More "Fun stuff" in the next chapter!**

**CIAO~**


	5. Bittersweet

_It would be a dream. A perfect dream._

_There would be scented candles and pure ecstasy._

_The whole day would've led up to this one event, With roses and songs and sweet nothings echoing in her head._

_It would be their wedding night._

_Someone's wedding night._

_That way what they were doing was pure and right._

If only that fantasy were true…

**-X-X-X-**

She was screaming.

He wasn't gentle with her.

He'd given up on muffling her voice with kisses in favor of positioning himself as he pushed with as much force as he had into her, the bed creaking slightly beneath them, and her head nearly hitting the headboard from the force.

_That heartfelt kiss in the conference room was a lie._

_It must have been._

That overwhelmingly sweet love had spoiled, now simply living as poisonous selfishness that bled into his heart and broke hers.

That's it; selfishness; His own gain at her expense.

But she was so pure and innocent.

Was.

Why her?

A particularly hard thrust elicited a sharp gasp from the Italian. Her body tensed even more than before, the great friction almost confusing pain with deep pleasure. She couldn't bear it for much longer, her blood already having stained the bed.

Her body betrayed her and began moving with his.

He watched the tears stream down her face, her lip trembling in the pain and ecstasy. Her voice was so strained and raw that when she spoke, it was almost nothing above a whisper.

"Wh-why are you doing this?"

Her words were so breathless, her state almost pitiful. It would be wrong for him to think of that, though, since he caused it.

He didn't truly have an answer for her—one she'd understand, at least.

If he told her loved her, things could get unpredictable. He wasn't up for taking chances.

If he told her that he wanted, needed, _desired_ her, it might not change how she saw what was going on. Selfishness.

Not that anything _would_ be able to change the fact that what he was doing and has done was immoral to both of them.

Tears still fell down her face, cutting clean streams of water through the thin layer of glassy sweat that accumulated on her soft skin.

He could tell her the truth…show her.

But what would she say, then? She believed that it was—

He shook his head, his thoughts angering him. Without answering her, he began to slam into her again, harder than before as anger fueled him.

She bit her lip to cease and sound from escaping her, but the force was too great.

Just after drawing blood on her lip, her mouth opened to let a strained yelp out. She shut her eyes tightly.

With almost every thrust he'd hit that perfect little ring of pleasure in her, the yelling slowly fading into loud moans of desire. Despite her fear, she loved this.

Watching as her body gave in, he reached forward and released her hands from the handcuffs, her delicate skin red and raw from pulling against it. Blood had run down her arm from a small cut on her wrist.

He held her arm a moment as they both reached their climaxes within seconds of each other.

"Alfred!" Feli screamed as warmth burst into her.

His blue eyes narrowed a bit, spreading her legs further apart. She yelped at the contortion, her body too fatigued to fight him as he moved roughly, his hands roaming her body and leaving bruises where he'd grabbed her or held her to keep balance.

Purple and blue. That pale, delicate skin was now draped in those colours, the Italian girl almost limp in mute pain and lack of energy.

Unlike she'd hoped, he wasn't done with her.

"St-stoooop…" She whined, her voice nonexistent between her airless breaths. Feli winced, the pleasure from before replaced with pure, raw pain. If it weren't for the exertion, she'd be yelling in pain and struggling again, but she simply lie there, hoping he'd be done soon and leave her be. If she was silent he would be done faster, right?

One thing lit up in her head, though. This was uncharacteristic of Alfred. Was he really such a perfect illusionist, that his secret of doing things like this was so well hidden no one could tell? Felicianna knew Alfred for a long time and didn't know about this! She named him! Her head throbbed in pain of confusion and a weakness even the Italian had never felt before.

"You're wrong." He almost grunted. Felicianna looked up at him, her face almost expressionless despite her curiosity. Both were breathing heavily.

Wrong about what?

She finally felt a bit relief on her abused body as he pulled out of her, moving to her side and sitting straight. Felicianna remained still, her body feeling so heavy…

"I'm…I'm not Alfred…" He said quietly. She barely heard him.

Pausing a moment, he reached up to his face, pulling out the blue contacts from his eyes and blinking a few times before looking down at her.

Those familiar indigo eyes shot through her, her already broken heart shattering further.

Her own caramel eyes narrowed in shock.

_The player lifts his piece, turning it and noticing it's cracked. _

**-X-X-X-**

**AUTHOR'S RANT:**

**Hallo~! :3**

**How do you like this little thing? It isn't as graphic as I initially wanted it to be...;-;**

**But don't worry! I'm working on that (aka reading graphic fanfics :3), so you'll be in for a surprise later!**

**kthnxbai~**


	6. A Special Ingredient

Felicianna felt almost sick to her stomach as the shock began to completely set in. For what seemed like hours she stared into those indigo eyes, her heart missing the sky blue she'd been dying for. Her mouth hung open, her lips slightly swollen from the roughness of his kisses.

Were it not for how sore her body felt, she would have curled up in a ball and begun crying. She could've sworn she did nothing to deserve this…this lie, this confusion, this theft.

She felt herself falling backwards, fainting and landing on the pillow again. Matthew frowned, unsure if that was a good or bad response. Carefully, her reached over and brushed his hand over her cheek. His mind became a bit lost, wandering through the echoes noises in his head: her screams. Oh, she sounded so amazing.

But she called out _Alfred_'s name, not his. Everything would have been perfect if she'd called him…

_Matthew!_

He could barely vision her screaming his name, but it wasn't enough. He wanted her to truly say it. Call his true name.

There was only one way to do it.

Moving his hand from her warm cheek, he grabbed her lightly bleeding wrists and moved them above her head as his other hand worked to spread her legs.

_SMACK!_

Felicianna's golden eyes slowly fluttered open, gazing up in confusion at Matthew for a moment before the sharp stinging in her right cheek finally came to her attention. She whimpered. Matthew regretted nothing.

"Say my name." He said, his voice quiet. She shook her head, thoroughly terrified of the man.

She was stupid to refuse, as the response was a hard thrust into her, the rawness inside her stinging from the abuse. She screamed again.

"SAY MY NAME!" He yelled. She flinched. Matthew gave another hard thrust to warn her what would happen if she didn't comply.

After some frantic crying she finally broke through the fear to say it. She was so quiet that he could barely hear her.

"M-matthew…" She prayed it was over.

Looking down at her a moment, the Canadian frowned. It was almost disappointing to hear his name from her lips. Her voice was hoarse from before, and she was too afraid to speak louder. Maybe he'd pushed too far?

As if.

If the Italian could handle training from Ludwig, then she could handle this. He was sure of it.

"Again." He said, tightening his grip on her and thrusting as hard as he could. Finally she screamed his name, yelled it loudly. Her voice was so unusually scratchy, and it was followed by sobbing, but he didn't mind. He heard his name. He heard it through some twisted form of sadistic ecstasy from her lips, what he heard in his ears different from the truth.

Pulling out from her once more, he stood and got dressed, ignoring the incessant sobs from his victim. Looking over at the clock, he found himself with still half an hour to spare if he'd guessed right. Finally his eyes drifted over to the Italian, weak, shaking, crying into her hands and curled up slightly in pain.

The guilt washed over him like a tsunami.

She was such a sweet girl. She didn't deserve this, no matter what he wanted. He'd hurt her badly, both on the inside and out.

He wanted to make it up to her.

"I-I'm sorry." He muttered. It didn't rectify it, but it was a start. She didn't budge from being a crying mass of rubble.

"Why?" She finally choked out, the only audible thing he heard. Matthew frowned.

"I-i…it's because I like you…I _really_ like you…_love_ you, I think." His voice was much quieter from before, but she heard it. Her hands slowly fell from masking that pained face, her perfect Mediterranean skin stained with tears.

There went another tsunami…

"Y-you do?" She looked at him with a mix of emotions on her face. Matthew nodded before stepping forward quickly and taking her hand

"I want to make it up to you! I'm so sorry about it! If you could ever forgive me….I'll do anything!" Feli blinked a few times at this sudden change of personality. The corner of her mouth twitched up a bit in an attempt to smile, a new rush beating through her body. The sweet scent of maple had become more prominent now that she was looking for it. It was almost comforting.

A soft smile graced her lips, her heart fluttering a bit. Why was she feeling this way?

"Marry me!" His words broke through her stupor, her mouth now slightly agape from surprise

"I-i-i…uhm…" Her heart stopped a moment before beating faster than ever before. His eyes were filled with a puppy-like hopefulness as he squeezed her hand gently.

The question now was, actually, whether she would take this large leap into unexplored love, or remember her crush and her lover who were out at dinner right now.

Their eyes remained locked, the silence filling the room with suspense.


End file.
